


Banished Spirit

by Browa123



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Banished Spirit Verse, Five Years Later, Gen, no phantom planet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-08-27 20:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16709692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Browa123/pseuds/Browa123
Summary: Five years ago, Amity Park and the world had a hero. Many hailed the hero. A guardian spirit who put himself before others and saved many on a daily basis. Others declared the ghost a menace for what he had done, and what they feared he would do. The infamous Phantom was scarred, and a drop of himself fell into the wrong hands. A weapon was crafted to capture the ghost in the most effective way possible. They succeeded.Phantom escaped the hands of those who would tear him apart. But the trap had sprung and soon the Halfa found himself unwillingly trapped in the ghost zone, unable to remove the trap or escape the vast prison. With his disappearance, evil took root and all the Phantom could do was watch as ghosts filtered into the human world and chaos was born.Chaos still holds the world in it's grasp. A ghost Huntress and young Halfa sit in an apartment, desperate to find a way to fix what had broken. Two ghost hunters still face the wrath of those who pleaded Phantom to save them. A Halfa ruled by ambition grows closer to his goal amidst the chaos. Phantom still waits for freedom so he can fulfill what he owes Amity Park for what his failures have wrought. A master of time meets with a leader of ice.





	1. Prologue: Banished

The nineteen year old boy drifted around his makeshift lair with a significant lack of motivation, for the Halfa knew that he didn't belong here. It was a world of no true reality, bent and unending as the universe with none of it's laws to hold it down, or contain it's form. The Ghost Zone, the world of the afterlife with those who still cling to purpose, though faintly. This spectral plane is where Danny Phantom was trapped, restless and desperate to get home, for the past five years.

The sequence of events that lead to his entrapment had grown fuzzy over time, though the significant moments remained clear as the ice in his ghostly core. He still can't place what caused this in the first place, though the last fight he had with Skulker in the human realm seems a likely candidate.

He had been scarred terribly that day, ectoplasmic blood leaking onto the pavement as the hunter ghost boasted about pelting him for the millionth time that month. His friends failed to notice his blood splatter on the pavement while he was busy finishing the fight, leaving a familiar pair of hunters to take the sample from the ground for study in Team Phantom's distraction.

Danny had reasoned over the past five years that those few forgotten drops of his ectoplasm lead to this downfall. Without his knowledge for the longest time, Danny's parents isolated his ecto signature with those drops and began building a weapon for personal use against Phantom. Of course there were off-handed remarks about a weapon to fight a very powerful ghost, going under the code name Fenton Utility Belt, but Danny found out which ghost they were targeting far too late.

The struggle took place in the lab about a month after that duel with Skulker. He was dropping off ghosts from his thermos into the Fenton Portal, only to find himself ambushed by a plethora of weapons trained to his unique ecto signature. 

Jack and Maddie followed suit with the utility belt primed to catch him and lock him down so he could be contained and studied like they had been planning all along. The chaos grew and strong arms soon clasped the metallic belt around his waist and across his chest, giving him a nasty shock not unlike the Spector Deflector.

Pained and weakened, with risk of his secret being revealed, Danny quickly shifted priority to escaping the grasp of his parents before he could no longer move, and the only exit was the swirling green of the Fenton Portal. He limply made his way to over, managing to dodge and swerve by rolling to the side and floating a small distance of the ground despite the shocking pain. He's felt worse, after all. 

After a few narrow misses, Danny pulls himself into the ghost portal, hearing his parents curse his alter ego's name while he drifts. The belt had stopped shocking him as he floated further from the portal. He just needs time to recover is all, it's what he had figured back then, unaware that was the moment everything cracked and fell to peices around him. 

He had not known he was trapped until he tried to return through the portal hours later, strength recovered from the scuffle. The Fenton Utility Belt gave him a nasty shock amplified to ten times worse the moment he got near the gateway to home, the ghost zone seeming to amplify the effectiveness of the figurative shock collar around his upper body. 

Danny howled in pain, screaming as the shock pulled him away from the portal. But he tried again, determined to get home and get this thing off him, a black Phantom logo scrawled on the upper strap on his right shoulder leading to the metal band around his waist marked with the Fenton family insignia, like a cruel reminder his own family had done this to him. That thought still pained him more than any shock the thing could give him, even to this day.

The first months of his entrapment went about as well as one would expect. The listless Phantom would go to any portal he could find, desperate to get out, only to be shocked raw by the Fenton Utility Belt. He would tug and pull relentlessly at the metal banding around his body, but the belt was attached to his very form regardless if he were a human or a ghost. He seeked out his allies, but Frostbite could not pull the belt from his grasp, no could Clockwork send him through any different time, he'd warned Danny that if he attempted it he'd still get shocked.

Frostbite offered Danny hospitality in the Far Frozen to keep him from being hurt, near defenseless and completly alone. The Halfa took up the offer with slight reluctance, still wanting to work on getting home before things go overboard without him there to protect the humanworld from the ghosts wanting to dominate it for themselves. 

Of course, things do go overboard when news of Phantom being trapped in the realm of ghosts starts to spread. The heroic half ghost now stuck and unable to answer his calls of duty, ghosts swarmed out of every portal to Amity Park they could find, no doubt setting off the old ecto exodus alarm from when Pariah Dark had reawakened. 

Danny could only watch through the ice and snow of the Far Frozen, core flickering and chest lurching knowing he couldn't stop the unfolding chaos like this. He gripped the strap of the belt around his chest with frustration and vehement, unable to leave even a small dent in the metallic material the accursed thing was made of despite his ghostly strength. He was unwilling to accept being trapped here for the rest of eternity while ghosts tear his home apart.

He doubled his escape efforts, flying as close to the Fenton Portal as he could before the searing shock would zap him senseless and throw him away again. He'd hopelessly bang, pull and attempt to crush the unyielding metal belt with all his might with no progress. For months he struggled and scorned the thing that had ruined his life all over again.

Days and weeks began to blur after that. Some ghosts had returned through the portal to challenge Danny to duels, as taking over the world without him there to personally interfere was growing boring for them. He'd heard from Danielle, the only remotely human contact he has, that an amber alert was put out for his human half, for no one had seen Danny Fenton in over a year. There were pleas all across Amity Park, for Phantom to return and save them from the ghosts taking over everything. There was nothing Danny could do for either situation, he couldn't leave, and his heart and core ached for every soul he could not protect.

Months blurred into years, and soon five had passed. Danielle was still the only human contact he had, the only one who could give him information on the outside world when he wasn't visiting the ever so cryptic Clockwork. She brought him food so he wouldn't starve his human half, grateful Dani and Valerie had grown close enough for the elder to use her employee discount to help Phantom's cousin. Danny had regular fights with ghosts every other day, and kept up his training with Frostbite in the hopes of his release one day, even if he has to wait for the belt to rust off him molecule by molecule.

Danny now had a lair, not too far from the Fenton Portal. Call it sentimental but he didn't want to stray too far from home. The lair itself was a replica of the Fentonworks building he used to live in, not wanting to lose familiarity with his human half and where we was raised. The only real change was the more haunted look and the fact that the sign was changed to say Phantomworks instead. 

It wasn't much, ragged around the edges, but the home away from home Danny needed to keep himself sane in the face of his imprisonment over the past five years. That, and the ghosts lining up to fight a legend like Phantom was an excellent source of getting rid of his seemingly unending aggression. His powers had grown over the past five years, growing into a balance of and ice and plasma core, giving him more powers than he ever knew he was getting.

Telekinesis was one he learned while staying at the Far Frozen. He thought the icicles moving with his mind was an improvement on his cryokenisis at first, but things other than ice moved as well after a while. His developed plasmatic half to his core gave him the ability to manipulate electric waves, ferrokenisis and the ability to possess technological objects not unlike what Technus can do. The most powerful new ability of all though, had to be his new Blizzard Wail. Both energies in his hybrid core mixed into a powerful soundwave of cold, howling winds that pushed and froze any who dared to be too much of a threat. If there were a way to measure Danny Phantom's current spectral energy, it would easily put him as a rank ten entity, and still growing.

To think he still had another five years before his core would mature fully. Though, he wished he could spend these years with his human friends and human family, to watch him grow to triumph over a new threat, to praise his efforts in a way only those that close to him could. But there was no end to this imprisonment any time soon. The belt still didn't yield to any power Danny used despite his growth in power, attached like a parasite and never giving his mind a moments peace.

Danielle had said the amber alert for Danny Fenton recently ended, and he was legally declared dead with no body to find. Danny found the irony funny. People still begged for Phantom to come save them, as the ghosts still caused chaos ghost hunters couldn't stop no matter how fancy the weapons. Sam, Tucker and Jazz sent letters to Danny through Danielle, detailing how much they missed the poor halfa, and how he didn't deserve what his parents had done.

Jack and Maddie were in a slum, though they hadn't given up hope their baby boy was alive out there somewhere. Danny never blamed them for anything. They were ghost hunters, he was a ghost, it was inevitable as it was his own fault he was a ghost in the first place, even if only partly. The Halfa blamed his stubbornness with his secret for this. Perhaps things would be different if he had just told them from the beginning.

But even when his willpower wavered, when he'd grown to tall without his family and friends, when he grew further from his chance to live has a human again, further from the hope of returning to his true home, one thing that never lost strength was his determination. He would get home, he'd see his friends, embrace his family, take up arms against the ghosts and return as the hero he was destined to be five years ago. He would free himself one day.

And there will always be the hope that day will come.


	2. Risk

Danielle wasn't one to go interacting with people she barely knew. The girl felt the risk of slipping up and revealing anything about herself to someone she didn't trust. It was too great a risk to her existence on too many fronts. Her origin, what she is, who she is, it's too great a cost to risk letting anything slip.

For one there was Vlad. Even if Danny and Valerie had saved her from him a good four years ago, she wasn't going to just assume he'd stop because his ghost hunter pawn wasn't there to serve him anymore. Now that she was stable, she was much more valuable to him to make his messed up perfect clone, and the last thing the world needed was for Vlad to discover the beta formula for Ecto-Dejecto and make armies of super ghosts to take over the world with.

Another thing was Danny. When the news began spreading that her cousin was missing, gone without a trace, she quickly flew back to Amity Park to help in the search on the sidelines. Being a Halfa like Danny allowed her to search the ghost zone for her missing family, her only family, only to find him met with a terrible fate.

Danny was trapped in the Ghost Zone when Danielle did find him. The teen was in a deep denial, tearing at the metal banding around his waist and chest, looking spent from the effort. When the truth came into light, Danielle could only hug Danny tight and let him sob into her embrace. She couldn't leave him like this. Leave his friends and family in the dark like this. Danielle consoled her cousin for all she had, and promised him she would return every day possible.

Danielle told Sam and Tucker first. She caught them after class and explained what she had found out about Danny. Sam was the most vocal about the news once they had a safe place to talk. The dark haired teen was furious and was only barely able to keep her voice down. Tucker was quite displeased as well, keeping his face in a more cold fury pointed at the ground as Sam ranted. 

Without Danny, the Fenton parents refused to let Sam nor Tucker near the basement lab when they came to visit afterwards. That meant no Specter Speeder, no ghost portal and inevitably no going to go see Danny during his imprisonment. The tension in the Fenton household was thicker than the blood and plasm running through Dani as she watched invisibly from outside.

All she could give Danny were letters from Sam and Tucker that night.

Danielle was introduced to Jazz the next day. Danny's older sibling was notably sceptical of the girl who had so much resemblance to her missing brother, but warmed up after a bit of talking to her. The familiarity rubbed off on Jazz quite quickly, allowing Danielle to explain where she found Danny and the situation he was in. Though not even Jazz had access to the lab and settled into being pen pals while Danny was trapped. 

Danielle was more than happy to take letters back and forth on her constant trips, making sure that even though far, Team Phantom never lost contact with each other. It was the least she could do, being the only one who could move between both worlds with this much fluidity without being caught. Soon, Dani had taken to bringing food to her cousin from the human world to keep Danny from starving.

Valerie noticed Dani the first time she walked into the Nasty Burger with cash Jazz had given her to buy food for the both of them. The huntress had recently been promoted for hard work while on shift and decided Dani should get the meal on the house, seeing as the last time they met, aside from saving her, Dani was using her powers just to survive. The huntress insisted she could have as much as she wanted.

Eventually Dani found herself hiding out in Valerie's apartment, giving her a place to sleep for the nights of hopping in and out of the ghost zone. The greatful Half a couldn't thank Valerie enough for her kindness, and made sure to respect every condition Val had set to the best of her ability. Sure, Dani missed her cousin, wishing that he could be free from the terrible device that had hurt her own and only family so much, but she just had to hold out and be there for him. She could make it work.

It was all so sudden when the world fell into chaos.

Dani had heard the term "Calm Before the Storm" before, but the storm that came, after word had spread about Phantom and his inability to defend Amity Park and the world, was an unstoppable force that could not even slow in the face of any ghost hunters that attempted to stand against it. Ghosts from every corner of the Zone filtered into the human realm and soon asserted themselves as the dominant and superior creatures.

Valerie had taken up her mantle as the Red Huntress with such fury, taking down every ghost she could with all her strength, but there were just too many. As more powerful ghosts filtered into the world, the realisation as to how ill equipped the world was for a threat no one could understand. Valerie was forced to retreat with other hunters into underground shelters as the ghost shield was quickly implemented around Amity Park.

The wait for Phantom began. The ghost boy had defeated every one of these enemies before, so surely the hero of Amity Park would rise again to take the threat head on. People called for Phantom, cheered for the ghost boy to come. Pleaded for him to come. Days turned to weeks, and humanity was forced to regress into a world of survival, no Phantom in sight. The only saving grace they had is that without their hero, the ghosts began fighting each other instead due to clashing obsessions.

People called to Phantom to help them for weeks that turned into months. But nobody came.

Breaking the news to the hero himself, Danny was devastated. Dani could feel her own core lurch as her cousin pulled even further in on himself. Even Halfa had obsessions, and although they could be ignored, the look on Danny as his own was compromised.... his drive had been sullied as the plasma and ice core burned at his insides from behind his eyes. Exposure to the ghost zone for this extended a period in time had changed Dani's cousin physically and mentally.

His eyes were now mismatched, the left a deep emerald while his right a sky blue. Flashing his so called scary eyes at the news only made the swapped colors glow, while he tugged at the raven hair that had grown long in his imprisonment. Dani had brought him a hair elastic a few days prior and now both Halfa had matching ponytails. He was certainly growing taller as the days passed, Dani would think he'd be taller than his sister in the present day by now.

But with every passing day, something grew more distant. Danny had regressed mentally to cope with the burning of not being able to fill his obsession. He'd still make puns, but his witty banter had grown dry, more dark and sarcastic as he joked bitterly about the situation. He didn't talk outside of that. He held to the letters from Sam, Tucker and Jazz like a lifeline, papers stacking up across his lair he'd made some time after Dani broke the news to him. 

He'd eat the food Dani would bring to him, though he'd slow and not eat as much. When he wasn't in his lair, he was training with ghostly mentors to reign his strength as he grew more powerful, with an aggressive tendency unfamiliar to the youngest Halfa prior to this series of events. Danny was regressed and aggressive now more than ever. Dani gave him as many outlets for it as she could.

The human world got worse with every passing year. Word had got out about what really happened to Phantom quite recently, as the ghosts didn't have a tendency to keep their mouths shut. Trapped with no escape, thanks to humans. After everything he had done, one human action lead to the downfall of the entire world. Hatred for the Fentons grew at the truth before the world, but the anti ghost tech they invented was needed to survive the harsh world before them.

Within the chaos, Dani sat. Now having the physical body of being seventeen years old, sitting in an exhausted Valerie's apartment, wishing she could help save the world. But she isn't Danny. She may be made of everything he is, but she'll never be strong enough to face anything he has. After all, she only has a plasma core. Danny hadn't developed cryokenisis when she was made, the only whisper of any of that powerful fusion core being the ghost sense.

She can't go fighting ghosts, she needs to be safe for Danny. She's all he's had over the course of these horrible and unfair circumstances. If she gets hurt fighting ghosts she could loose contact with him. If only she could have done something, stopped him from being trapped there. But she wasn't brave in the face of this kind of danger like him. She hadn't faced it before and had no idea what to do.

Valerie had woken up as Dani closed in on herself, moving to sit beside the Halfa who constantly popped in and out of her home. Valerie was like a sister to Dani over the time of the tragedy that had dragged the two together. The Huntress rubbed Dani's back, making small circles, asking what was wrong. Dani exploded into silent sobs as she talked about her cousin being locked away.

Now, Valerie has never been on good terms with Phantom. She only worked with him in the rare occasion it was for the greater good. Still, with Danielle and how without the infamous ghost around, things had really gone into a point of no return. Even if it was or wasn't a thing about ghost territory or if there was action out of kindness in a non existent heart, over the past years, Valerie slowly came to accept it.

No matter how much she dislikes Phantom, the world needs him.

Dani jerked at the sound of ghost hunting gear activating. Valerie grabbed Dani's hand with the most gentle smile she could muster. The Huntress may be insane to ask what she's about to, but desperate times call for insane measures. And if those insane measures involve finding a way to free the infamous Danny Phantom from the ghost zone, in hopes that he'd even fight for humans again, well...

"Dani, let's go see your cousin."

It's a risk they're both willing to take.


	3. Unfulfilled

Valerie Gray didn't think much of Phantom's disappearance at first.

Ghosts will be ghosts, and when the going gets tough, self preservation always came first with them, regardless the surroundings. Perhaps, finally, the spectral nuisance realized it wasn't wanted and hightailed it out of the realm that belonged to humans. Good riddance, she remembered thinking to herself, as Phantom still refused to appear in her latest fight with a nasty spook. Though as weeks passed, the realization began to sink in with every fight she had. Every ghost she knocked though a loop reminded her nowadays of what was bugging her.

Phantom was _gone._

They had recently finished the study of Moby Dick in Mr. Lancer's English class, and Valerie found herself stewing on the events of the book. The familiarity. The pursuit and thrill of the chase to claim the ultimate prize, only to let it escape to feel that thrill once again. A destined rivalry. She and Phantom. The ghost boy had impacted her life in an irreversible way, and now that he was gone things just seemed to grow empty. Meaningless. She could hunt all the ghosts she wanted as Amity Park always had one lingering around, but without her white whale to chase she felt unfulfilled.

And what right did Phantom have to up and quit, anyway?! With all his false heroics and territorial possession he seemed to hold over Amity and it's people, he wouldn't just up and quit over a few ghost hunters. Never stopped him before, anyway. Valerie pounded her fist against the desk containing files and photos of ghost hunting information. Even that had the ghost boy's cocky grin plastered all over it. Phantom Declared Public Enemy Number One, Phantom and Ghost Pet Destroy Axiom Labs, Phantom Steals Priceless Artifacts, absolute proof his heroism was an act and a rouse.

And yet...

_"You don't have to trust me! Just fight with me!"_   
_"Fine! Destroy ghosts! But can you really take part in destroying a human?"_

There were moments he could be very convincing. His attitude when he went to rescue his half ghost cousin was almost real, human. Phantom was a puzzle that she and many ghost hunters she had encountered longed to solve. An enigma, that went against everything anyone had known of ghosts before he swooped in and started attacking his own kind. Now, with him missing in action, that puzzle may never be solved by anyone, and again Valerie was left unfulfilled. 

Another hole was scarred through her heart when it was announced on national television that Danny Fenton was missing. She hadn't seen her friend anywhere at school, or around Sam or Tucker since Phantom vanished. A bit to... overwhelmed as to say, to talk to Danny's little posse, she never knew it was this bad until the news announced it. So, in between ghost hunting and her job, she was now searching for the missing boy and Phantom in her downtime, leaving more room for her personal life to slip between her fingers like sand.

Danielle came in a good month after Phantom's disappearance. Valerie recognized the human form of the half-ghost girl when she walked nervously into the Nasty Burger. She looked just as exhausted and emotionally drained as Valerie felt when she handed her some cash and explained she was buying lunch for herself and a friend who had given her the money. Turns out the half girl half ghost was still very much homeless and on the run, and her new friend couldn't let her stay. Valerie's heart landed in her throat as she watched the halfa's sad, blue, familiar eyes.

Dani was sleeping in her apartment that night.

Though it was probably bad to hide a guest like this behind her dad's back, Dani needed the support and Valerie needed someone to talk to. All this stress was getting to her, and the half human was her best option to turn to. Heaven knows she can talk to an A-Lister about her concerns and the huntress could feel the palpable tension radiating off of Sam and Tucker since Danny vanished. Not even her father, because she couldn't go to him about ghost hunting concern. She'd be grounded even worse with what she had to talk about! So, the ghost-human hybrid she rescued would have to do.

Besides, it seemed Dani needed to vent herself. The ghost girl seemed troubled, phasing and and solidifying her legs through the bed as she kicked her feet in nervous tension. Valerie put some rules about the whole ghost powers thing in place, and Dani obliged with gratitude toward her new friend. And so they talked. Valerie vented out all her concerns as Danielle listened. She hadn't felt this comfortable talking about herself since Danny became her friend. Danielle was just as good a listener, letting Valerie vent about everything. But as she went on the half ghost looked even more sad and restless.

When it was Dani's turn to vent, the truth of Phantom's disappearance was the first thing the hybrid spoke of. She had found the ghost boy, but Phantom was trapped by another set of ghost hunters who locked him up like an animal in the unending void that the ghosts call home. She learned from Danielle that Phantom haunted Amity Park because he didn't belong in the ghost zone, but now he was trapped with no escape. As vast as the ghost zone is, anywhere can feel like a cage if you're forced to be there. Soon the halfa was in Valerie's arms, sobbing and wanting her cousin to come back and fix everything like he always did.

Valerie didn't know if Phantom could, even if he were to miraculously break free of his bonds and come soaring in to scoop up his crying cousin. The huntress did her best to console the crying girl in Phantom's place. The ghost boy trapped, Danny missing and things getting progressively worse with her ghost hunting career, Valerie found herself crying with Dani not long after.

The ghosts launched their assault. Valerie was nothing compared to the wake of spectral energy and countless ectoplasmic beings that surged around Amity Park and the world. Being out in the field with the GIW and Fenton family all working together to try to push back the threat, Valerie could see the extent of the damage. Ghosts everywhere cackled and terrorized the human world, many singing about how Phantom couldn't save them this time though the cries for the ghost boy. Valerie powered through, day after day, trying to find the leader of this too well calculated assault. She was injured nearly every day but she did not waver, letting her hatred push her further into the pack.

And at the eye of the storm was Vlad Plasmius.

She briefly locked eyes with the elder halfa, who betrayed all of humanity for the sake of his own power. He was now commanding an entire army of ghosts to tear this world to shreds in his name. She felt utterly betrayed that this man, no, this monster would turn his back on the very thing he was half composed of. Valerie saw red, charging at Vlad with an angry scowl on her face, only to get knocked pathetically out of the sky with the wave of a hand moments later. She could hear the bastard laughing at her as she fell from the sky. Everything went dark.

Dani was shivering on her bed. She was sad and scared, clutching envelopes in her hand she had yet to deliver to Phantom. She'd been so scared of using her abilities as of late, so afraid of screwing up, being mistaken for the enemy, and failing her cousin and his human associates that exist somewhere in the world. When she woke up, Valerie sat beside her. Dani again broke into crying sobs over Phantom, her cousin, and how he had never deserved any of this. How no one deserved any of what that Plasmius was doing. But she couldn't stop it. Couldn't save her cousin who was suffering at the loss of an unfulfilled obsession.

Danielle's cousin. Phantom. Dani was a ghost-human hybrid. She could turn into a ghost at will, and hide her ectosignature to a near untraceable level in human form. She had a beating heart, a bleeding heart. Blood in her veins and emotional levels not seen in any normal ghost. She was a creature who walked the line of life and death and defied reality with her very existence. And she was also Phantom's cousin. Related to Phantom. She insisted the ghost boy was hurting and suffering in the ghost zone when ghosts couldn't feel pain, or that of a broken heart. Dani had told her that Phantom didn't belong in the ghost zone, but what ghost doesn't fit into their own realm? Valerie looked at Dani. She thought of Phantom. There was only one answer to this. Phantom was different not because he was strong. Not because he chose humans over ghosts. It's because he wasn't a true ghost. He was a Halfa.

The third half ghost.

Valerie felt ludicrously stupid at this fact. It had taken five years to piece together something she should have a long time ago. Phantom was half human too. He had human friends, Dani brought him food so he wouldn't starve the other half of himself to death. And he'd chosen humans over ghosts. That much was fact. The way the ghost would rather fight ghosts, despite the collateral, as long as no one got hurt he would fly off to fight for Amity Park another day. How could she have been so stupid? Had she really clouded her mind this much during the crisis that she couldn't fit the pieces into such a childish puzzle?

She announced they were going to find Phantom together moments after her brief revelation. She had to confirm this. She had to see Phantom. And, in the irony of her whole life, she might just have to be the one to free him. If he really was half human, he couldn't stay in the ghost zone. If he was as powerful as she remembered, they might have a chance to fight back the ghosts. If he was as forgiving as she remembered, they might be able to forge something from their twisted relationship other than ectoblast charged hatred. Hopefully these memories don't go unfulfilled.

Dani easily snuck them into the abandoned basement of the Fentons, as they were out fighting right now. It was the only short window they had before they returned as Dani opened the portal. Valerie saw into the swirling green. The emerald ectoplasm matched that of Phantom's eyes to a sickening familiarity. But they couldn't stay long. So, Valerie plunged herself inside the portal alongside her half ghost companion, who she now trusted more than ever. 

The ghost zone opened up to screaming amounts of green littered with purple, assaulting her eyes and causing a newfound dizzy sensation. She felt Dani's hand grasp her own as she righted herself. The halfa lead the way through the swirls of sickening jade and sharp violet. Soon, something came into view that took a sharp relief to Valerie's eyes. It wasn't much at first glance. An apartment complex out in the center of the ghost zone, with an assortment of metal in the shape of a dome above it. A neon sign with "Phantomworks" was scrawled along the top of it. Phantom's lair no doubt. Though the striking resemblance to Fentonworks sent Valerie's mind into another tirade.

As they approached the lair, bright blue eyes and raven back hair flashed in her vision. Dani's human form. Dani and Phantom, both related half ghosts. Dark hair and blue eyes on Phantom swam up in her mind. They approached the parody Fentonworks with a newfound dread in Valerie's stomach. Flashes go through her mind. Phantom knew she wasn't in her suit that day. He knew who she was from the beginning. This whole time he knew, but never told her. To spite her? No. Because he understood her. Two personas, both extensions of the same personality, created to hide the truth further. Despite what she'd done to him, he'd still listened. Still begged with her. Everything came to a head when Dani knocked on the door.

And a human boy with raven hair and sky blue eyes answered.


	4. Explanation

Both his eyes weren't blue for long. Valerie just remembered the blue eyes from when she'd last seen this particular person. Danny. Fenton or Phantom, there was no difference anymore. It was plain to see when she actually took in the face of her old friend.

Only one of his eyes was actually blue. The other was a deep, almost faded green. Then again the eye color present in his left was usually glowing when she found herself gazing into it. There's certainly no denying it now. Danny is Phantom, was always Phantom, since day one. What was the term Danielle used? Halfa. Danny is a Halfa.

Valerie should be mad at him. Furious even. Standing before her was the kid who ruined her life, who stole away everything from her family. The ghost boy, who tore away everything she thought she knew, time and time again, over and over. A dangerous threat to the world. 

But looking into those faded, tired eyes, so full of defeat that was so not.... Danny, Fenton or Phantom, gave her pause. She'd seen loss many a time in her life. It was in her own eyes before it faded to rage. It was in the eyes of the Fenton family when their son vanished. It was in the eyes of Sam and Tucker when the friend that held them together vanished, leaving them on ice to blame each other for him disappearing.

The loss in the eyes of Danny Fenton was enough to pull her heart in half.

"Val?" His tired voice croaks out. There's surprise in his eyes, on top of the whirlpool of defeated misery that seemed constantly present. The surprise melts into a smile as he takes in the fact that she's here. Someone he knows. Someone he trusts. 

Danny moves out of the way of the door, inviting Danielle and the Huntress into his lair. Valerie felt the pressure on her lessen immensely, is it because Danny welcomed her into his hideout? She's not as well versed in ghost science as the Fentons. Not wanting to keep Danny waiting, she accepts the offer to come in, Danielle skipping in behind her. 

The younger Halfa then embraces Danny tightly, the older Halfa complying in turn. He does a few spins with his cousin in his arms, a wider smile forming as they twirl a few seconds. Danielle hands Danny a stack of letters from his friends, which Danny graciously accepts before putting them on the table. He then turns to Valerie, smiling softly.

"Long time no see, huh?" His raven hair drapes over his face as messily as she remembered, but the ponytail is new. She nods lightly as Danny takes a seat on the couch, patting the spot beside him to let the Huntress sit down. Valerie complies, though keeps her distance. She's not sure if she's comfortable sitting beside him yet, and Danny seems to have the same reservations. He's eying the hunting gear apprehensivly for a start.

"I'll go... make some tea while you two catch up," Dani decides, floating out of the room in order to leave the awkward silence. And the statement is accurate. Danny doesn't stop messing with his hands, running them through his hair, adjusting his ponytail, twiddling his thumbs in his lap... All Valerie can do is stare at him. See how he's changed.

He's quite a lot taller now. Then again, his father is that titan of a man known as Jack Fenton so it's not too surprising she's been surpassed in the height department. Ironic looking at him now, since he was picked on for being short before he was labeled looser. He's still quite lean though, like his mother. Lithe is the word for it. Though he does still slouch when he sits.

"I'm guessing you want some explanations. I owe that much to you after all this time," his voice is barely a whisper as he breaks the silence. Danny takes his gaze off the floor, locking eyes with Valerie. All she can do is nod. It really has been five years. Five long, slow, agonizing years of this boy being missing, Amity's hero missing. And everything he was had faded. But it wasn't gone.

"I'll start from the beginning..." he explained thinking he owed her. Danny owed Valerie nothing. Seeing him like this, even for only a few minutes, pulled her heart out of her chest with a force so undeniably familiar to her. Danny, with his timid yet attentive attitude, filled with hopes and dreams of stars and space. Phantom with his never give in attitude, snark, and seemingly bottomless supply of terribly witty puns. What was there was faint. Because now he's lost everything too.

He's lost it all over again, as Danny continued to give her his answers, everything Valerie hated him for seemed insignificant in the face of his issues. He's lost everything more than once, when he was fourteen he was mutated into a half ghost freak (his words, not hers) and had to hide from ghost hunter parents. He was on the bottom since the beginning as he sunk lower due to the force of being the Phantom.

He felt responsible for the ghosts in the first place. Every blue tinged whisp was his responsibility. Every life he saved was his duty. All the backwards progress. Names like Walker, Freakshow and of course his ever infamous Plasmius, who was currently enjoying his reign of terror in the human realm. The mention of this makes Danny scoff.

"He's come back for the ghost zone from time to time. Doesn't stand a chance when Frostbite and I chase him back out. If anything, I'm glad I can keep him from controlling everything," he mutters. The sleeves of his hoodie must be hiding quite the collection of battle scars, if the many Valerie herself had were anything to go by. The silence returns after Danny finishes explaining up to when he was trapped. I find myself eying the metal band locking him up with disgust.

Danielle returns with tea, the scent becoming a welcome distraction to the heavy air that had filled the room. She sits on the other side of Danny, leaning her head against his shoulder while he rubs her back, using his free hand to nurse his warm drink. He glossed over the relationship he had with his cousin. It was up to Danielle to tell Valerie, if she ever wanted to. There was a lot he found too personal to share right now, and with the story he had, the Huntress was in no place to blame him.

"I feel ya, Fenton. I definitely feel ya..." is all she can say. Secret identities, late night ghost fights interfering with what made them kids. They were fourteen when this all happened. When kids are worrying about grades or fashion, not if they'll live to see the next day. Teaching themselves to fight otherworldly beings and taking the brunt of the punishment to their personal life. Scars, wounds, aches and pains. Mortal and immortal enemies...

Danny had it so much worse. When Valerie had her identity revealed, she was grounded. Sent to her room for what was believed to be her own safety. If Danny was revealed to his parents, it could have ended a lot worse than being grounded. 

His parents are ghost scientists, who think Phantom is special. And they obviously wanted to see what made him special, by tearing him apart. Valerie can't begin to imagine her own father wanting to do to her what Danny's parents shouted at him. Dissection, experiments, molecule tearing? Valerie wouldn't know what to do! Another glare is sent to the belt, that Danny's parents made to trap his ghost half.

More silence follows. The wave of realizations had finally finished sweeping her out to sea, to a lifeboat that was sinking, it's only passenger unable to fix the holes in the hull. Now she really felt bad. Danny had used his ghost powers to levitate the new set of letters over to himself, not wanting to get up from his spot and disturb the now sleeping Danielle. The near silent sound of paper tearing fills the room as he opens the next round of letters.

The glow in his eyes from using his powers dull as he reads each one. Things keep getting worse outside the zone, and the halfa can only sit and read about the events like a twisted story, waiting for the hero to appear and chase away the ghosts and save the town. He should be that hero right now, kicking ghost butt and putting Vlad in his place. But he can't.

He moves the notes to the piles of paper on the other side of the room, sipping his tea as a new sheet and pencil float before him. Danny replies to the letters while sipping his drink and hovering protectivly over his cousin. More silence as the pencil scratches against the paper as it floats in midair. Soon, the letters are labeled and put back with Danielle.

"I'm sorry...." Danny mutters to Valerie. The Huntress tilts her head in turn, not understanding why Danny is apologising to her. "For everything. Ruining your life, your family's life, being stupid and unsympathetic. Lying to you about Phantom while I was dating you that one time..." a dry chuckle, "I screwed up, and you were the one that paid for it."

"That's enough, Danny. I'm the one who needs to apologise," Valerie cuts in, leaving Danny a bit shellshocked. "I'm sorry. I got so caught up in what happened in the past to look to what was really happening. You opened my eyes, Danny. I found out what real friends are because of you. I found a sense of responsibility, got to understand one of the nicest guys in Casper, learned to have fun with the thrill of the chase. And I repaid you by trying to destroy you, the only person in the world who is going through what I do. The one person like that who has it so much worse...."

Silence.

"Oh honestly you two. Just hug it out and make up already!" Danielle exclaims, breaking the silence once more. Danny and Valerie meet eyes, seeing Danielle's point. It's a tense few seconds getting arms around each other, but soon the ghost boy and ghost hunter are locked in a tight embrace. Tears flow not long after.

Conversations soon lighten to brighter topics, teas are finished, and group hugs are exchanged. Valerie and Dani had to go home before they are reported missing too, you know. Danny is reluctant in his goodbyes, but the promise to meet again lightens the sadness in his eyes a great deal. As tbe dynamic duo fly away from the Phantomworks Lair, Danny waves with the most enthusiasm Danielle had seen in a while. Bringing Valerie along was certainly worth it.

The two reach the portal back home. Dani smiles as she sits on Valerie's hoverboard, the two passing through with lighter attitudes. "You're gonna have to give me all the dirt on you two dating when we get home, you know!" She sing songed as they passed through, Valerie chuckling to herself.

"Whatever you say, Ghost Gal. Glad we could clear things with your cousin," Valerie replied with a smirk, excited about exposing Danny's embarrassing moments from that time years ago to his eager cousin. It feels like forever since her last girls night, and one with Danielle seemed like a good pick me up outside all the ghost hunting.

Ghost hunting she should have noticed when an ecto gun started to whine with charge in front of them.


	5. Confrontation

Following the whine of the ecto gun nearby, Dani instantly found sense enough to jump behind Valerie. How did she not see this coming? They should have stayed the night, waited for the next battle, and Valerie was still recovering from the last fight she was in! They were near defenseless against the frame of two much older, more experienced hunters, and Dani felt fear overtake her heart and core.

"Don't worry Huntress! We'll get that ghost gal behind you before she causes damage!" Jack Fenton bellowed loudly, training his newest invention on the terrified Halfa, who was struggling to keep a grip on the letters from Danny. Talk about don't shoot the messenger much? Valerie still held her ground in front of her friend, moving her suit to defence mode.

"Don't take another step closer. She's just passing though," the Huntress tells the hunters firmly, keeping her full frame in front of Dani. After seeing Danny stuck in the ghost zone like he was, hearing his tale, the things these two could do to the closest friend she's had over the past five years burn her mind. Humans could be monsters just as much as ghosts can, after all. Vlad proved it, the Fenton Parents solidified it.

"Valerie, sweetie. It's a Ghost, you know it's just using you so it can cause trouble inside the shield. Step aside so we can take care of it," Maddie Fenton said in a motherly tone. Like she had the right to talk to her like this about Danny's cousin. Like she had the right after what she did to her own son. Valerie held her ground, a snarl almost passing her lips as her rage and fury built. Yes, she may jump the gun and miss facts when casting judgement, but the truth here is undeniable.

"She's not just a ghost," Valerie growled out, moving to put a reassuring hand on Dani's shoulder. Her friend was in trouble. And after Phantom escaped them four years ago, there would be no mercy this time. It's the most trustworthy that stab you in the back the deepest. Vlad Masters himself was still out there, laughing and looking down on the two parents who banished their own son, after all.

"She's also a girl. A human girl. And she's the last link the Phantom has to this world. And don't get started on your bull science. I've seen her transform, I've felt her heart beat in both forms and I've seen her scared for what life she has left. So don't go lecturing me on anything, because she's on our side," the sterness in Valerie can't be ignored this time. Valerie, the Red Huntress, who swore to destroy every ghost that even so much as looked at her funny. It was powerful.

The weapons whine to a higher charge. Not powerful enough, it seems. In a moment of panic, Dani reverts to her human form in a last ditch effort to save herself when they fired. She curled into a ball on the ground and yelped as the beams went harmlessly through her physical form. Thank goodness for Jazz and her warnings about the weapons prior to today, or she might not have thought to do that. She didn't have an identity to guard as badly as her cousin, after all.

In turn, Valerie growled before rearing to punch both hunters in the gut. "That was for Danielle." She barked bitterly at the two of them before helping the shaking, human girl to her feet. The shuddering Halfa clings to Valerie like a lifeline, gazing fearfully at them with crystal blue eyes. And as they took in the human form of the ghost girl, the hunters melted their aggression as it moved to sadness.

"Danny....?" Maddie started, but Dani cut her off.

"No, I'm not him. I could never be him." She sighs sadly, gripping the letters that were, thankfully, still in tact. These were important after all, her cousin's last lifeline with his friends and sister. The elder Fentons take in the teenage girl, who looked so uncanny to the boy that disappeared five years ago, the boy they would give anything to have again. The air thickened with tension and misery, and tears could burst from anyone in the room at any moment.

There was a loud slam from the top of the stairwell, leading into the lab. Finally, Jazz had made an appearance, no doubt hearing all the racket that had just transpired. Even though she was forbade from the lab, the chaos beneath had been too much and she had to see for herself. To find Danielle clinging to Valerie and her parents staring in shock at the spitting image of her brother, weapons disarmed, it was obvious what happened.

"Dani.... are you Ok? Did Mom and Dad hurt you?" She chided, rushing over to the cousin who acted as a lifeline between her and her brother. Dani in turn shook her head, before checking the letters in her hands. She hands Jazz the one addressed to her with a solemn look, still quite shaken.

"He's in a good mood today. Valerie came with when I went to visit him. Been a while since I saw him smile like that, I missed it," the frightened Halfa muttered in a meek voice. Jazz gave her a smile before ruffling the night black hair that covered one of her eyes. Dani chuckled lightly, so much like her brother...

"Wish I was there to see it" the eldest daughter sighed. She tore the envelope open, pulling the letter with Danny's handwriting scratched into the surface. A smile graced Jazz's li0s as she read through the writings meant for her. "It really has been five years, huh, little brother?" She finds herself musing, shaking her head. It's the happiest note he's sent in ages, and it's certainly going on the wall in her bedroom.

"Jazz? That letter is from your brother?" Maddie finally finds her voice. A spark of hope cut through the misery. Her baby is alive. Somehow, this hybrid ghost girl could bring back letters from her baby boy, her youngest child. Her Danny was alive. A similar relieve hits Jack as the truth sinks in. Danny's alive, Danny's out there. He's been able to use this ghost to talk to them from where he disappeared. Jazz had indeed nodded when they asked, cooling the tension significantly.

"Good luck trying to get him out of the Ghost Zone, though," Valerie growled at the two of them, killing the hopeful mood. She sends a pointed glare at the Fenton parents, ready to lunge at any moment and punch them again. Valerie knows why Danny can't come home after all. The same reason Phantom hasn't stopped the invasion yet. And who's fault it really is, no matter how much he blames himself, the bleeding hearted bastard.

"Ghost Zone? Our baby has been in the Ghost Zone?! For five years?" Maddie is met with silent nodding from the other girls in the room, causing her heart to lurch in her chest. How....? "How did he survive? Normal humans can't survive in there! The atmosphere alone would poison you, unless..." the possibility hit both parents like a ton of bricks. Did they see Danny, or did they see the post human conscious left of Danny after-

"He's not dead, if that's what's running through your heads," Valerie barks through a self gratifying smirk. It's time to make these two squirm, for Danny's sake. They deserve the guilt truckload as much as she has over the past few hours. "Honestly, the answer to why should be obvious, if you look at his carrier pigeon cousin over there," the smirk grows. The physical punch to the gut was for her partner, the psychological punch is for her friend.

"Valerie, please, it's not your secret to tell-" Dani starts, knowing where this is going.

"No, Dani. This little facade has gone on for too long and too far. It ends now," Valerie stops her. All of these secrets, all the lies, the disappearances. It's a train wreck of emotional baggage that's tearing things apart at the seams more than ever before. And sure, this could count as a vengeance shot for that time Danny exposed her, but Valerie is hardly thinking of her own problems right now. She has for long enough. It's time to wake up.

"You trapped him there," she spits at them, taking in their appalled faces. Let them think on that, let them accuse her of lying. "You know I'm right. You've seen Dani, in both her forms. You've seen how similar she is to your kid. Your missing kid, who seemed to vanish alongside another very important figure. I wonder who THAT could be," Valerie is scathing in her tone, angry. Angry she let this happen, let it go on so long, didn't realize sooner.

And then there's the realization.

Sick satisfaction is what she feels when the Fentons are suddenly stricken with waves of grief and shame. They know now, the truth. The room had gone silent in the wake of Valerie's rant, emotions settling in over everything else. The silence grew eerie, with the sound 9f the occasional shuffle of feet with the truth sinking in.

And then the hunters break. They huddle and sob as anguish and guilt overtake them. Jazz moves in to comfort her parents while Dani clings to Valerie in sad silence. Though haply in the moment, the room gets to her and she bows her head. Though she wont apologise, she did what she had to. For the greater good. For the chance Danny could be free. There isn't much left to be said as Jazz leads her parents upstairs and out of the lab, preventing the resurfacing of painful memories.

Dani lets go of Valerie when the room clears. "I should get Sam and Tucker their letters..." She whispers, taking her spectral form and flying under the floor to go find them. 

Valerie is then left alone in the lab, where it all began. She takes in the basement of Fentonworks. The last time she was here, Danny had flown them in to get an invention called Ecto Dejecto. To save his cousin. Who had been stabilized that day. What would have happened if Valerie refused to help Phantom that day? Nothing good, for sure.

The Huntress doesn't know where she'd be without the sprity younger Halfa to keep her company. To keep Danny company in the ghost zone. She owes Dani just as much in the end, even if she refused to keep the secret of Halfa. This was too important. It was for the greater good in the end, not just for Danny and Danielle.

Because they need all they can get it they want to face the eye of the storm.


	6. Malcontent

It was all his.

Here he was, Vlad Plasmius, finally sitting atop his rightful place in the world, at the top. The crown of fire burned with darkness atop his head, gazing over reality as chaos swarmed in every wake of his power. The ghosts still acted of their own clashing obsessions, but it was Vlad who controlled them, Vlad who they feared, they had every right to be, just as he had wished it to be.

He had worked hard to get this far. A decade and a half of toiling, plotting and scheming to bring about what he wanted. And now he had it, two realms that cowered at the power of one who belonged in neither. He'd rather he feared than scorned, he had decided long ago.

Long ago, when he and the idiot were on better terms. Before the idiot ruined his life, finished ruining it rather. All those years of scorn in college with Jack, other crowds passing by them with upturned noses, sneers and abuse because his damned "friend" couldn't shut his mouth. And when the insults flew, the buffoon turned a blind eye to make Vlad look more like a moron under the shadow of an absolute idiot. 

An idiot who didn't understand the world was a harsh one, out to claw out the hearts of people like him, sheer dumbness the only shield to keep these things from harming him. Letting Vlad take the brunt of it. It was inevitable what happened that day, with the proto-portal. And everything that happened after.

Stealing the love of his life, abandoning him when he hit rock bottom, and out of sheer idiocy continued to dig him deeper into the hole, with some lame invention in his name made for drilling rocks. The idiot still smiled, still had the woman he loved, and as he drilled deeper into the pit of mediocrity, he continued to laugh like nothing was wrong.

Vlad grasped at the left side of his head. The Orange buffoon can't hit the broad side of a barn, but his eye was still irreparably scorched from the pot shot he fired into the crowd of his minions. Another of the many things Jack had taken from him. But that's all in the past now.

Now, he was the one in charge. He'd taken everything Jack had cursed him with, lack of social standing, the ability to have any companionship in life, the fact he would be doomed as an abomination that broke every law in two realities for eternity, and turned them into his power. His will, his command and his new era. An era where he rules!

Vlad surveys the world around him once more.

It's not enough. It's never enough, he's come to realize with time. He can rule this realm, he's controlled parts of the ghost zone, legions of ghosts bow to him in fear, but it's not enough! 

He needs Jack dead in the ground in the grave he's dug for himself. 

He needs Maddie to be his eternal queen, even if he must rip the life out of her as well and make her a ghost with no memory of her putrid husband. 

He needs Daniel, the perfect hybrid. The only other significant Halfa in this world of darkness, with a pure heart and caring core.

Still unattainable wishes at this moment.

The first two decades of being a hybrid were a torture on him. The spectral form of Plasmius beginning to form burned in his brain, feeling icy ectoplasm leak slowly and mercilessly into every cell, every strand of DNA and overshadow his dying body peice by peice. He studied ghosts in college and knew from day one he was wrong.

Ectoplasm and physical matter did not mix. Everything was wrong, he was a thing that should not have existed. But he did, and it crushed him. Leaving his humanity to revel in negative thoughts as his core formed from his mind.

The time his hand turned intangible, he realized these changes were irreversible. He continued to lie in bed with nothing to heal him, and he'd never leave if he didn't do something. To think something so petty and small was the first time he abused his power, overshadowing the nurse to write him a clean bill of health while he escaped intangably.

When he had nowhere to go, and no money left after blowing his college funds on ghost research, the crime spree began. It was only a little at first. A few dollars for food. Some pocket change for clothes. A place for shelter. A bank with a million in cold hard cash, stolen effortlessly with his power.

He wanted more, but he had enough sense in him to know robbing every bank and coming out rich would make him an easy to find culprit despite his power. He used it again. A million became ten. Ten became a hundred. Hundreds of millions became billions, and Vlad Masters made a name for himself.

But Vlad had his other half to cater to. So he continued his ghost research from college, now with the money to do it in private to keep his power under the wraps. He succeeds where Jack failed, making a working ghost portal that does not blow up in his face. A fanged grin met his lips as he took in the fact he had one over the idiot, finally.

The first time he enters the ghost zone, he sees a real ghost. Many of them, in fact. Violent, animalistic, post living consciousness. Everything that happened here was Vlad's continued victory over Jack. The first successful portal, the first visible ghosts he's seen, it invigorated him.

The ghosts attacked, but he knew he was more powerful in his practice. New, rusty, immature in the core, but it was the day he realised he had power in not one, but two realms. The ghosts cowered in fear of him and fled his wrath.

Vlad continued to spread his influence across the ghost zone, becoming well known for his status as a Halfa, and feared for it. Elder ghosts scorned him before they too learned to fear his power. The ancients had called him a bridge before they kept themselves hidden from him.

There were Halfa before him, he soon understood. Vlad continued to research the ghost zone, to look for any other ghosts like him, any other Halfa to speak to. But he soon found his answer as to what happened, why they were gone without any trace.

No Halfa had walked the Earth or floated the Zone since Pariah Dark came into power.

So he was the only one. The only Halfa in the entirety of two dimensions. Wrong, oh so wrong and cursed to an existence of loneliness in two worlds. Only two worlds he could exist in, but he belonged in neither, outcast for his hybrid status, eternally.

Perhaps it's why he so persistently seeked out Daniel. A boy so separate to everything but so integral to getting him everything. A tool to Jack's demise, the key to Maddie and her heart, the only other in this entire existence to share the pain of being outcast. He had to have that boy, by any means necessary.

Damn the child for his stubbornness, though. Still, even when banished far away from any human contact, he still insists on saying no. The boy is slowly surpassing him even with the crown Vlad owned. The child was similar to him, but oh so different.

His support network wasn't built on fear like Vlad. It had trust, tightly knit connections with little room to hold betrayal within those he consoled with. Rather than abuse the power given to him, the boy had trained his morals to overpower the corruption the rush could bring even in his current times of trying. Vlad was cursed to have these powers, Daniel felt gifted.

Amity Park lay in a ghost shield to keep ghosts out. His portal was long destroyed in a particularly grueling fight with Daniel in the ghost zone, so Vlad commandeered the infi-map from the Far Frozen to keep travel in check for his next raid. There were loose ends to tie up, after all.

He was ruler, master of ghosts. He ruled with an iron fist of fear, as a Halfa is the only thing a ghost can ever truly fear aside the end of their existence. Power and authority was his destiny as a Halfa, a bridge between the two worlds mediated by his own will. Perhaps that is what the ancient ghosts meant about him being a bridge. A connection, forged by his desire.

Still not enough. He had to have everything, only then will he be complete. Vlad removes his hand from the eye that had been blinded by Jack. He was a Halfa, but the scraps of humanity in him felt further away every day he felt the warmth through the fire and darkness in his center.

Daniel was still wasting away in the ghost zone, and had been unable to stop him in five years. The other so called bridge, unable to reach the other end and close his own gap. Perhaps being Daniel's enemy was destiny, why his goals were so unattainable despite needing them so badly. Even as the younger Halfa was left to rot, with no power to his name and absolutely nothing, the boy still had one thing Vlad didn't.

Love.

Maybe that makes Vlad the idiot here, though he hardly cares anymore.

 

-

 

"I came as soon as you had called, Master Clockwork"

"I knew you would, Frostbite. You are never one to be tardy."

"Of course, I would never keep one such as you waiting without warning, or dire reason."

"I understand. Do you know what we are here to discuss?"

"Yes. To think it has already become time."

"Indeed, the boy is nearly ready. You must be there to mentor him."

"Are you sure he is of age enough?"

"He has grown far beyond his years by now. There may not be another opportunity."

"I understand, though he is just a boy. Is there no other option?"

"There is not. The stream ahead is twisted. Entangled in a way that I cannot discern. Many things are about to take place, the outcome isn't as certain as I hoped it would be."

"Then I suppose there is no choice. I will meet with the Great One as soon as possible to prepare him. The destiny he has is a heavy undertaking."

"If the boy can handle it is still unknown. Do not be hasty, do not tell him of his destiny should he think to refuse it before he himself understands."

"Understood, ancient one. Until we next meet."

"It is only a matter of time before everything begins, for all I cannot see of the future, I wish you luck"

"And luck to you as well, Master Clockwork. Farewell."

"Farewell. After all, it's only a matter of time until destiny comes for all of us."


	7. Unwritten

Even after Danielle has left, the tension in the air around Fentonworks was thick.

The feelings in the atmosphere could be scarred with a blade as eerie silence fills the building, not a sound in the world to counter it despite the lumbering footsteps. Even walking felt murky in the unsettling mood the world had taken on, stepping slow and steady, as though an invisible current would knock everyone over.

It's time to talk. The truth, out there now and irreversible, needed to be confronted. Five long years, full of shed tears, pain and suffering in the midst of war was far too much to keep this going. To keep the lies that just made everything worse.

Wordlessly, Jazz seats herself at the table first. She beckons her parents to join her while Valerie lingers in the lab a while longer. There's an axiousness though, as everyone in the room knew for a fact that this conversation couldn't be delayed any longer.

The creaking groan of the chair when Jack sits in it causes a collective wince, the previously ignored sound amplified in the silence. Maddie takes her own sear beside her husband, grasping at his hand and running her thumb along his knuckles to comfort both herself and him.

Jazz meets their gaze, a long suffered misery hidden behind the determination in her eyes as she takes in their expressions. She takes them in, analysing their every move with her own practised ease. The stiff frames if her parents and their guilty expressions bring noted as Valerie finally enters the room.

The Huntress takes off her helmet, letting her dark hair fall freely around her shoulders. She sits beside Jazz at the table and places the black and red helmet on the table, folding her arms and glaring at the senior Fentons. Her anger had yet to subside, that much being painfully obvious.

"Alright. Let's get down to business," Jazz begins, straitening her posture. "This talk isn't just for Danny's sake, even if it is about him. This is for everyone here right now. Everyone here had a hand in his situation, even himself, and we need to bring it to light now."

Maddie stiffens further, tightening her grip on Jack's hand. "Why didn't he tell us?" She finds in her voice, though it cracks as she speaks the words. She can feel Jack's agreement with that statement as she gauges Jazz and Valerie.

"You talk about ghosts the way you do, make Phantom out to be your mortal enemy, talk about all the nasty shit you want to do to him personally right to his face, strap a shock collar on him he can't remove and wonder why he didn't want to say anything?" Valerie barks with sick amusement, turning up her nose at the duo.

"He's our son! If he had just told us he was Phantom in the first place, this wouldn't have happened!" Maddie raises her voice, trying to refute Valerie's claim. She'd never hurt her baby boy like she's always wanted to do to Phantom!

"Would you have even believed him?! Look how you reacted to Danielle!" Valerie bites back, throwing an arm out in uncontained adrenaline from the high emotional tension in the room. "She's just like Danny and you still shot at her when she transformed into a human! How would you have taken that if that was Danny?!"

"I'd never shoot my son! I don't know where you're getting this idea that I wouldn't believe my child, because I trust him wholeheartedly, Valerie!" Maddie snaps back, releasing Jack's hand. The man had gone silent in the midst of all the yelling, having nothing to input on top of this.

"Would you have trusted Phantom if he were the one to tell you?" Valerie hisses, not backing down to Maddie challenging her. The bull the older woman is spouting isn't true and she's seen the evidence. Valerie feels herself shaking with rage in her chair at the thought.

"That's different and you know that!" Maddie spits. Her own teal form shivers at her emotional high that refuses to fade.

"No it's not!" Valerie stands abruptly, jabbing a finger at Maddie. "Get it through your head that Danny and Phantom are the same person! He was just making a stupid pun off his last name and NOBODY noticed it until it was too late!"

"I know that! I know they're the same! I know it now and it's obvious but it's still so different!" Maddie cries back at the accusing Huntress, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Yeah? What would have happened if he didn't escape into the ghost zone? What if you had the elusive Phantom down in your lab, trapped like an animal and at your mercy? What would you have done to him?!" Valerie shouts, tears in her own eyes.

Maddie goes silent as a gripping dread hits her. If she had succeeded in keeping Phantom, Danny, trapped in the lab, she and Jack...

"You'd run your experiments right? Dissect him? Tear him apart molecule by molecule? And you wouldn't listen to a word he says because he's just a lying awful ghost, right? Nothing would change and no one would come to save him before it's too late," Valerie drops her hands, feeling her fists clench.

"One second, your cutting up this unfeeling, screaming, evil ghost. And the next, the hybrid can't keep it up any more and that sticky green on your hands ends up red. But it's already too late. You killed it. You killed a person, and even the thought of what could have happened terrifies me..." the Huntress mutters the last bit under her breath.

The silence returns. The implications are clear. If Danny hadn't been crafty enough to escape that day five years ago, he would have died. Tied up on a lab table with terrible scars lining his middle, bleeding out on the floor.

"I could've killed him too," Valerie hisses. "I know I'm good at this job. My aim is on point, yeah? I had him captured once too. Strung up where no one would find him. I wanted answers first, but I had full intent to destroy him..."

"He didn't tell me his secret. In order to escape, he told me about Danielle. It was some sick sense of self preservation at the time to me, as to why he told me. I wouldn't have believed him if I hadn't seen her transform. We rescued her together, and I decided to let him go..."

More dread fills Valerie. If she hadnt agreed to help Danny, there would be two halfa dead and their lives, no matter how partial, would be on her hands. She's thankful she had the sense in her to let him go after the fact. The tears in her eyes slip out as she imagines the repercussions.

It's quiet a while longer, Jazz still silent and Jack still stoic while the air dies down a bit. They all had a part to play in this, and now that the darkness was coming to light, it was time to accept the truth.

"I still have some of his letters stashed in my room," Jazz quietly offers. "I may not have all the details Sam and Tucker may have gotten in their letters, but maybe if I bring some of mine from Danny, it can help us all accept the truth."

"That's a good idea, Jazz. Go get those letters, we can wait," Jack tells her hoarsely, grabbing his wife's hand in his own will. 

Valerie sighs and sits back down, moving an armored hand across her cheek to remove the wetness from her tears. There's an explosion outside, but it can wait. The shield will hold long enough. Family emergency comes before ghost hunting, even in these times.

"You made that belt that keeps electocuting him, right?" Valerie finds her glare returning, sitting up a bit straiter. "You made it, so you can get it off him, right? So he can come home?"

There's hurt in their eyes now. It gives Valerie an uneasy feeling.

"It... wasn't designed to come off of him," Jack begins, wincing as Valerie's glare deepens. "We made it to attach to Phantom... Danny's ectosignature, his core itself. The belt is a part if his body now, just as much as his core is. It's impossible to remove without destabilizing him."

Valerie curses under her breath. "That's why he can't get it off. I guess that's why the shocks he gets are worse in the ghost zone too. The energy in there would make his core and the belt stronger. His own core is zapping him," the glare grows even deeper.

"That... was the intent, yes. Using Ph... Danny's own power against him," Maddie shivers at the statement. How long had her baby boy been suffering due to something she invented. Something she invented to hurt him specifically?

Right. Five years. Maddie buries her head in her hands.

Jazz returns from upstairs, a journal and file full of assortments of paper and pictures. One spills out, and it's of Phantom, Danny, grinning beside the Amity Park welcome sign. Jazz looks reminiscent as she lays everything out on the table.

"I've been keeping this journal since I found out his secret. He didn't know I knew for a long while, I wanted him to be ready to tell me. Though, I suppose he never was ready to tell anyone, for good reason considering the earlier discussion," she flips open the journal.

There's photos of Danny in ghost form mostly moving away from view for the first few pages. Jazz had written in the marines the ghosts he'd fought before fleeing, with some sloppier handwriting under the names she'd written, Danny correcting her when he got his hands on the journal.

His human form is littered throughout in the same time areas, a bit more clear since he wasn't as evasive when not using his powers. It was rather cute.

The first close up of Phantom had him and Jazz with their arms wrapped around each other, posing with a rusted boo-merang and old headband. The photo was captioned with "Back From the Future!" In Danny's handwriting. Jazz explained it as the moment Danny knew she knew, and there was a really personal fight involved that she didn't want to delve into. 

The more casual pictures of Phantom made things so obvious. Smiling with Sam and Tucker, like the old days, it was easy to see Danny floating there in the still frame under the ghostly appearance. The same grins and jokes, carefree lightheartedness, all so Danny.

Valerie finds herself snorting when Phantom holds up the old axiom space helmet from when they were almost a thing. It's captioned with "Had A Date With Val In Space, We Didn't "Hit" It Off!" Followed by notes of wether or not he should return the already supposedly destroyed helmet, or fly himself to space again one more time.

He always did want to be an astronaut.

The letters are just as innocent, though they pack the same amount of weight. Danny details his time in the ghost zone, training with Frostbite, pushing back the invasion on his end of the portals, making friends with both nonviolent ghosts and warriors who respect him.

He doesn't blame his parents, even though Jack and Maddie deserved the blame. There's no denying it now. Danny is Phantom, from the puns to the goofy grins and his desire to put everything on himself so no one is hurt but him. It's always been like that, and everyone felt dumb for not knowing sooner.

Suddenly, Jack stands, looking determined. He doesn't smile, but his determination had returned to it's usual degree of full force as he turns to his wife.

"Mads? Where'd we put the blueprints for Phantom's Fenton Utility Belt?" He asks, puffing out his already wide chest. And when Jack Fenton makes up his mind about something, there's no stopping him. 

"Down in the lab with other blueprints, why?" Maddie asks, wondering what her exuberant husband is up to this time. Despite the air of the room, excitement creeps in. It's always endearing watching Jack work passionately.

"Today, we're warming up the Specter Speeder! We bring the prints and the tools, and we fix what we broke! Instead of weakening Danno, that belt is going to make him stronger than ever with a little Fenton engineering!" The hunter declares, putting his hands on his hips.

"Wait, so you're going to go and fix the Belt? But what if Danny gets hurt?" Valerie asks, still very concerned about letting these two anywhere near Danny.

"That old belt has hurt our son for long enough. If we can get to him and rewire the main drive that makes his core electrocute him, we can reprogram it so that it makes him stronger instead!" Jack informs Valerie.

"Jack, that's genius!" Maddie chimes in. "Without the belt shocking him, our baby boy can leave the ghost zone! He can come back to us!"

"And, with all the training he's done, I'm sure he'll be happy to help fix home too. He's already chased Plasmius and his armies out of the zone, he can chase them out of our world!" Jazz adds. "Of course, he'll need to rest in his own bed first, his obsession be darned just a night longer."

Just like that, the tension seemed to lift, and the Fenton's immediately began to work. The specter speeder was tweaked and fired up after being unused for so long. 

The blueprints gathered, tools needed to fix the Belt packed, and one eager Danielle returning to help Valerie lead the Fenton Family back to Danny later, everything was set. Jack grinned widely for the first time in a long time.

"Let's bring our boy home!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Join the DP Writers Discord!
> 
> https://discord.gg/G67n5FG
> 
> You'll get to yap with me and maybe some other writers if they wanna join.
> 
> If this link doesn't work, rifle through my Tumblr under the same username and there should be a link.


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